Rugby Canada is looking for a helping hand for the women's rugby team en route to this summer's Rugby World Cup.
The governing body has launched "Mission: Win Rugby World Cup 2025," bidding to raise $1 million to provide the women with extra resources — to finance more training time together, from travel to room and board — ahead of the 16-team tournament that runs Aug. 22 to Sept. 27 in England.
The Canadian women are currently ranked second in the world. Unlike Canada, top-ranked England, No. 3 New Zealand and No. 4 France are all fully professional sides.
England defeated Canada 21-12 in October to win the WXV 1 tournament in Vancouver. It marked the Red Roses 30th win in their last 51 outings.
"It's a different stratosphere financially that they're drawing from," Canada captain Sophie de Goede said of England. "We've never asked or expected to be in that same stratosphere … But what Rugby Canada is trying to get for us is enough for us to have the time to be able to compete with them.
"We don't need our camps to be in really nice places or the most beautiful hotels … What we really need is time together so that's what this mission is all about. It's to just raise enough resources so we can give ourselves the opportunity to compete with England even if our number is still not in the same stratosphere as their number."
Rugby Canada reported revenue of $15.57 million in 2023 with expenses of $15.12 million. Some $4 million of that revenue came from World Rugby with another $3.35 million coming from Sport Canada.
In November, England's Rugby Football Union recorded revenue of 175.2 million pounds ($325.3 million) in its 2023-24 annual report.
De Goede, a former finalist for World Rugby's Player of the Year who is currently rehabbing a knee injury, says Rugby Canada is doing its best to fund the team.
"Unlike England, unlike many other (rugby) unions, we get pretty equal funding to the men. It's just that that pool we're pulling from is so much smaller that those major unions that we're competing against."
Thirty per cent of the fundraising goal has already been reached via private donors. And during March, all donations will be matched up to $50,000 by a private donor.
The fundraising drive was announced on the eve of International Women's Day Saturday.
---
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 7, 2025
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
